New York City FC came desperately close to breaking their winless streak on Wednesday night, but a catastrophic defensive collapse in stoppage time saw them share the spoils with FC Cincinnati in a thrilling 4-4 draw at Yankee Stadium. The result leaves the Bronx-based outfit still searching for three points, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that their defensive vulnerabilities are costing them dearly when matches should be settled.
The Boys in Blue entered the match under serious pressure after losing to Charlotte FC over the weekend, and head coach Pascal Jansen knew another result without a win would pile the scrutiny even higher. NYCFC had looked relatively solid for much of the evening, building a comfortable 4-2 lead with just seven minutes of regular time remaining. That should have been enough. Instead, what unfolded was a masterclass in snatching defeat from the jaws of victory—a painful reminder that football isn’t won until the final whistle blows.
NYCFC’s defensive lapses prove costly in dramatic FC Cincinnati stalemate
Roman Celentano’s horror show in the Cincinnati goal actually handed NYCFC an early advantage. In the 20th minute, a loose ball fell kindly to Nicolás Fernández Mercau, who capitalised on the goalkeeper’s fumble to give the home side the lead. It seemed like fortune was finally smiling on the New Yorkers. They’d earned it too—there was genuine quality on display, particularly in the Argentine attacking trio’s movement and positioning.
But as quickly as the soccer gods giveth, they taketh away. Cincinnati equalised just twelve minutes later through Kévin Denkey, who found himself completely unmarked as the NYCFC backline of Raul Gustavo and Thiago Martins ball-watched rather than defend. It was sloppy, and it was preventable. Within three minutes, though, Fernández Mercau restored NYCFC’s advantage with a brilliant finish, as Maxi Moralez set up his fellow Argentine with a delicate one-touch pass.
The match descended into an end-to-end thriller. Agustín Ojeda made it 3-1 in the 53rd minute after excellent build-up play involving Aiden O’Neill, who was thoroughly impressive throughout the evening with his creative distribution. Then came what should have been a watershed moment: a stunning strike from Cincinnati’s Evander, one of MLS’s elite midfielders, was bizarrely ruled out by VAR for a dubious foul in the build-up. That controversial decision proved pivotal—it may well have saved NYCFC from dropping more points.
Denkey equalised again in the 65th minute, and the match was very much in the balance. NYCFC looked like they’d wrapped it up when Talles Magno added a fourth in the 78th minute, executing a delightful finish after being set up by Ojeda. That should have been game over. At 4-2 with seven minutes left to play, any professional outfit should be closing out the match comfortably.
What happened next was inexcusable. Cincinnati’s Andrei Chirila produced a worldie of his own to make it 4-3, and the momentum had unmistakably shifted. With the Bronx crowd sensing danger, NYCFC imploded. Kevin O’Toole conceded a penalty inside the box, and Evander calmly converted from the spot to seal a dramatic 4-4 draw.
This result epitomises NYCFC’s season so far. The attacking talent is evident—Fernández Mercau was clinical, Moralez orchestrated play beautifully, and even Magno’s cameo showed why there’s genuine pressure on Jansen to give him more minutes. But the defence is a genuine concern. Gustavo and Martins had poor evenings, and the lack of rotation despite it being the second consecutive midweek fixture raised eyebrows. Kai Trewin wasn’t deployed at centre-back, suggesting Jansen stuck with a tried-and-tested approach rather than freshen things up.
The winless streak continues for New York City, and you can sense the frustration mounting both inside the club and among the fanbase. They’re clearly better than their results suggest, but results are what matters in football. Giving away a two-goal lead with such little time remaining isn’t an anomaly—it’s becoming a pattern. If NYCFC want to climb the Eastern Conference standings, they need to address these mental lapses and defensive frailties before they become totally ingrained in the team’s identity. Right now, they’re leaving wins on the table, and against a Cincinnati side that fought back with real quality and character, that’s the price you pay.